The conventional 401(k) plan has long been the most widely used business retirement option. The Roth 401k, however, is a more recent option that has progressively gained popularity over the past ten years (k). In 2020, 86% of businesses provided this plan, up from just 49% in 2010, according to CNBC.
If one of these is your employer, you may have questioned which kind of plan is preferable. The response, as with so many financial queries, is “It depends.” You’ll need to go into the specifics of how the Roth 401(k) operates and what distinguishes it from its conventional cousin in order to fully grasp what exactly it depends on.
What Exactly Is a Roth 401(k) Plan?
A Roth 401(k) is a retirement plan that combines the tax advantages of a Roth IRA with the ease of a standard 401(k). The money used to fund a standard 401(k) originates from your pretax income. Throughout your working years, it grows tax-free in your account, and you don’t pay taxes on it until you retire.
The tax advantages of a Roth 401(k) are the exact opposite. You make after-tax contributions to the plan. However, you don’t have to pay income tax on withdrawals from the account until you retire.
Say, for instance, that you contribute $10,000 to a Roth 401 at the age of 35. (k). None of this $10,000 may be written off against your taxes. If your tax bracket is 24%,
How Does It Work?
It’s simple to make a Roth 401(k) contribution. Automatic deductions from your paycheck are made for contributions, just like they are for a standard 401(k), but they are made using after-tax money. The Roth 401(k) contribution cap is the same as the standard 401(k) contribution cap (k).
You are free to invest your Roth 401(k) contributions in any of the funds that your employer provides. The programs often feature a variety of stock and bond mutual funds as well as target-date funds, much like other 401(k) plans. As your assets increase, you don’t have to pay taxes on the income they generate.
You may begin taking tax-free distributions from your Roth 401(k) at retirement, just like you could with a Roth IRA. From a Roth, you can start taking “qualified distributions.”
Contribution Limitations
No matter the 401(k) plan you select, you will be subject to the same contribution restrictions. Maximum deductible contributions for 2022 tax returns are $20,500. If you’re 50 or older, you can increase your annual contribution maximum to $27,000 with a “catch-up contribution” of $6,500.
Only employee contributions are subject to this cap of $20,500. Matching contributions from your employer are excluded from this cap.
However, the total amount that can be contributed by both the employee and the company is subject to a greater cap. The sum of these amounts cannot exceed $61,000 in 2022, or your base pay, whichever is less. For workers over the age of 50, the catch-up contribution increases the annual maximum to $67,500.
Withdrawal Rules for Roth 401(k) Plans
Withdrawals from a Roth 401(k) are tax-free as long as they meet the requirements set out by the IRS. This indicates you have been a Roth account holder for at least five years and are at least 59 and a half years old.
It’s possible to make tax-free withdrawals if you’re experiencing financial difficulties. Withdrawals are permitted before to age 59 12 in certain circumstances, such as disability. If you pass away, your heirs can access the funds. Withdrawals made from some plans are exempt from taxes in cases like paying for unexpectedly significant medical costs.
An unqualified or non-qualified distribution is one that is made from a Roth IRA in violation of certain requirements. Income tax and a 10% penalty will be due on a portion of the money you remove in this scenario.
Early Withdrawal Procedures
Early withdrawal from a typical 401(k) results in a 10% penalty on top of any taxes that must be paid. In contrast, just a fraction of your Roth 401(k) withdrawal is subject to tax and penalty.
That’s because your Roth 401(k) has two types of money: the contributions you’ve made and the investment returns you’ve earned. Due to the usage of post-tax funds, the donations are already subject to taxation. However, revenue has not increased.
You don’t have to pay taxes on the portion of your Roth 401(k) withdrawal that represents your contributions. The remaining portion of your withdrawal consists of profits that were previously untaxed in yat and is thus liable to tax and the 10% penalty.
Let’s say you’ve put in $18,000 and your account balance is $22,500. What this indicates is that $4,500, or 20% of the total, is income. Your tax and penalty liability will be 20% of the amount withdrawn ($600) if you take out $3,000 early.
Minimum Distributions Required
Your 401(k) account balance will eventually be taxed like any other investment account. After a certain age, you will no longer be able to make deposits to your savings account and will be required to begin making withdrawals instead. The RMD is the minimal amount of money you must remove from your retirement account each year.
RMDs are required from both standard and Roth 401(k) accounts. Generally, you must start taking RMDs on April 1 of the year following the year in which you turn 72. Beginning the year after you turn 70 12, if you were born before July 1, 1949, you must begin taking RMDs.
You can put off receiving RMDs until retirement if you are still employed at the appropriate age. One caveat is that you must be employed by a corporation in which you do not have equity to engage in this practice. That’s because you don’t have a 5% stake in the company.
Rolling over your Roth 401(k) into a Roth IRA, as will be explained below, is another approach to delay RMDs. Qualified distributions can only be made from a Roth IRA account if it is at least five years old.
What is the Early Withdrawal Penalty for a Roth 401(k)?
Withdrawals from a Roth 401(k) are subject to a penalty that is calculated as a percentage of the total contributions and profits made to the plan. Withdrawing 20% of the account balance before age 59 1/2 would result in a 10% penalty since 20% of the balance constitutes profits.
To illustrate, suppose you remove $3,000 from your account before it’s time. A penalty of 20% of the first $3,000, or $600, would be due if the profits percentage on the money in your account was 20%. Ten percent of $600 equals $60 in penalties.
Bottom Line
A Roth 401(k) option is now available at the vast majority of firms that have such plans. You can choose to save on taxes now or in the future by investing in a Roth 401(k), the two main types of retirement plans.
If you believe your tax rate will be higher in retirement than it is today, a Roth 401(k) may be the best option for you. If you expect income tax rates to increase before you retire, or if you are a young worker with a modest salary, this may be the case for you.
The short-term financial hardship of making Roth contributions is greater. You will pay more in taxes when contributing to a Roth 401(k) than when contributing to a standard 401(k) with the same amount of money. If money is scarce, the standard plan may be the best option.
There are other ways to save for retirement than 401(k)s, both traditional and Roth. For more information on retirement savings plans, including regular IRAs, SEP IRAs, SIMPLE IRAs, and solo 401(k) plans for the self-employed, check out our other articles.
